WORCESTER, Mass. - 265 students graduated from UMass Chan Medical School on Sunday in a commencement ceremony held on the campus green.

Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins urged the group of graduates to use their voices to assure our nation’s commitment to science is steadfast.

“Research isn’t just about probabilities, it’s about possibilities,” Collins told the graduates.

Among the students, some were the first to participate in UMass Chan’s accelerated M.D. program, which allows studies in family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics to be completed in three years instead of four.

Mia Lai said the program is vital to ensure open positions in those fields can be filled faster.

“There’s this shortage of primary care physicians, so hopefully doing the accelerated program will be able to provide more providers,” Lai said.

Kurren Parida, a graduate who will be moving to Philadelphia soon to start his career, said the ceremony weighed heavy for many in his graduating class - but there was excitement mixed with the nerves.

“I think it’s exciting and a little nerve-wracking to start the next stage,” Parida said. “But we’ve all been trained so well, and I’m really excited to see what more we’re going to learn as we figure out what specialty is the best fit.”

The accelerated program chosen by some graduates guarantees placement into a residency program at UMass Chan into one of the three specialties, and the school said it’s part of a growing national movement to address the rising cost of medical education and the physician shortage.